This invention relates to automatic clothes washing machines and the method of washing clothes and more particularly to an improved method in such machines for effecting the washing of very small loads of clothing and especially delicate and synthetic fiber types of clothing and the method of washing the same.
Automatic clothes washing machines customarily provide, in a clothes basket adapted to hold several pounds of clothes, a sequence of operations in order to wash, rinse, and extract water from the clothes in the basket. The sequence ordinarily includes a water fill followed by a washing operation which, in a vertical axis type machine, is provided by an agitator movably arranged to oscillate back and forth within the basket; a first centrifugal liquid extraction operation in which the wash water is removed from the clothes by spinning the basket; another water fill followed by a rinsing operation in which the clothes in the basket are rinsed in clean water while the agitator is oscillated; and a final centrifugal liquid extraction operation in which the basket is spun to remove the rinse water from the clothes. Machines having this type of cycle, or a variation thereof, generally produce highly satisfactory results in that the clothes in the machine come out properly cleaned and with a substantial part of the liquid removed.
As stated, in order to have an adequate capacity, the clothes containing basket must be large enough to accept several pounds of clothing generally in the range of eight to twelve pounds, and to contain them loosely enough so that a satisfactory washing effect will be obtained. Because of this prime factor, that of adequate clothes capacity, the clothes containing basket presents some disadvantages when a very small load of clothes is to be washed. This type of load may occur for various reasons, but, in particular, it occurs with respect to delicate and dainty garments which are usually made from synthetic fibers or blends of synthetic and cotton fibers. These type garments should be washed by themselves and not with other heavier garments, and particularly with respect to clothes which are not colorfast, such as socks, jeans, etc., which would harm other clothing if washed with them.
One disadvantage which presents itself when very small loads are washed in the basket of a washing machine is that the amount of water required for washing a few small garments may be comparable to the amount of water used for washing several pounds of clothing. This, of course, represents an inefficient use of water with a resulting high cost of water and energy in heating the water in consideration of the result being obtained. Also, there is the corollary that the greater the quantity of water used, the greater quantity of detergent needed in order to effect a proper detergent concentration in the water, and this too represents an increased cost factor. Considerations such as these have quite often led the owners of domestic clothes washing machines to do the washing of small quantities of delicate garments by hand despite the availability of the machine.
One solution to this problem is the use of a small basket placed on the agitator inside the larger regular wash clothes basket. The motion of the agitator carries with it the small basket and provides a motion of the liquid in the basket which causes a suitable delicate type washing action. This type of washing machine is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,014,358 and is assigned to the assignee of the present invention. In the use of a small wash basket as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,014,358, the clothes within the small basket are subjected to the same operational cycles as when the machine is used with a "normal" operation, that is, when the clothes are in the large basket, and includes a water fill followed by a bath type washing operation. A bath type washing action is when the clothes are submerged in water that nearly fills the small wash basket. After the washing operation there is a first centrifugal liquid extraction operation in which the wash water is removed by spinning the basket. There is another water fill followed by a rinsing operation wherein clean fresh water is introduced into the basket and agitated, and then followed by a final centrifugal liquid extraction operation by spinning the basket again. The disadvantages in such a clothes washer and method of washing clothes is brought about particularly by the use of synthetic fibers in today's garments. There is a tendency during the spin or liquid extraction operation for the clothes to become compacted by the centrifugal force and wrinkling is induced. The wrinkling is more likely to occur when the water is warm and it has been found to be advantageous to gradually reduce the temperature of the water before the centrifugal liquid extraction operation. In addition, it is highly desirable to reduce the amount of water used in the washing and rinsing operations as compared to bath type operations, yet maintain the good washing characteristics of the machine and method.
By my invention I have improved the prior art washing machine and method. The amount of water used is reduced by utilizing a flow-through wash and rinse operation where the clothes are only sopping wet as compared to bath type operations which in turn results in less detergent being needed for the washing operation.